Actuator Arm Drive with Dynamic Housing Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional actuator arm drives for movable furniture parts have a large space requirement and protruding levers that can obstruct access and pose a risk of injury, as they need to accommodate the lever inside a housing.
Innovation Solution
An actuating arm drive with a seven-bar linkage kinematics where levers are articulated and partially housed, allowing them to protrude from the housing only when needed, reducing the overall size of the housing and ensuring safe and unobstructed access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the housing is designed to completely accommodate the levers when the actuating arm drive is in closed position, then the housing size is reduced, but the levers cannot protrude when needed for functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with movable walls that can change position between first and second positions, allowing the housing volume to dynamically expand or contract. This enables the levers to protrude when needed while maintaining a compact form when retracted, resolving the contradiction between small housing size and lever protrusion capability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the levers protrude from the housing in closed position, then accessibility is blocked and injury risk increases, but the actuating arm drive cannot be compact
Solution Approach 1:
The housing dynamically adjusts its volume by moving its walls between first and second positions. In the closed position of the actuating arm drive, the housing is in its expanded state with walls in the first position, allowing levers to protrude without obstruction. In the open position, the housing contracts to its minimum volume with walls in the second position, eliminating protruding parts and ensuring safety.
3Ease of manufacture
If the housing is designed with fixed volume, then manufacturing is simpler, but it cannot adapt to different operational states (open/closed)
Solution Approach 1:
The housing incorporates movable walls that can transition between first and second positions, enabling the housing volume to adapt to different operational states of the actuating arm drive. This dynamic design allows the housing to expand when levers need to protrude and contract when they are retracted, providing versatility while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through the use of movable partitions.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
Actuating arm drive (1) for at least one pivotably mounted actuating arm (2), in particular for driving a flap (4) of a piece of furniture (3), with several levers (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) connected by joints, which are at least partially housed in a housing (5) that can be mounted on the furniture (3), wherein those levers which actuate or form the actuating arm (2) project from an end face (51) of the housing (5) at least in the open position of the actuating arm drive (1), wherein - in the closed position of the actuating arm drive (1) - at least two levers (6, 7) connected by joints project from a longitudinal side (52) of the housing (5), preferably directly adjoining the end face (51).